The Damned Demon

Chapter 771: It's Your Time To Live



The low growls and guttural grunts of the werewolves rose into the air as Ceti descended from the skies, her flying beast landing with a thunderous beat of its wings.

Their glowing eyes, burning like embers in the twilight, locked onto her with unbridled aggression. Lips curled back to reveal sharp fangs, and their clawed hands tensed as though ready to pounce. The tension was palpable, the air thick with hostility.

Just as the werewolves seemed poised to attack, the Moon Guardian raised his hand briefly, a gesture as calm as it was commanding. The effect was immediate.

The werewolves silenced themselves, lowering their heads and taking a synchronized step back, their feral aggression receding into a simmering quiet as if it never existed in the first place.

Ceti leapt down from her beast, her boots hitting the ground with a soft thud. Straightening her posture, she walked forward with a resolute expression, her eyes meeting Lupus's sharp, blood-red gaze.

The towering figure regarded her with his hands clasped behind his back, his face impassive yet carrying the weight of someone who had seen and endured countless lifetimes.

"What brings you here, child?" Lupus asked, his voice deep and resonant, reverberating through the air like distant thunder.

Ceti pressed her lips together, her expression hardening, "You know why I'm here. I guess you always knew, didn't you?" Her tone was firm, though there was a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes, "First, I want you to tell me what you're planning to do to my kingdom by marching there with all these clans. You are bound by a vow not to enter the lands of my kingdom. Or are you going to break it now that such a good opportunity was presented before you?"

Lupus tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing as he spoke, "It is a rule of nature that all things will fall eventually. With the fall of the Bloodburn Kingdom, so too will the weight of all vows tied to it. And once it does, then we will march into those lands to obtain the key." Ceti's breath caught, her dark blue eyes widening in shock and realization.

She shook her head slowly, disbelief etched across her face, "N-No... You saw the wrong future," she mumbled, her voice faltering as a wave of dread crept into her chest, "My kingdom would never fall like that... Asher has yet to return, and I am sure he must be away to find a way to save our kingdom." The memory of Luna's vision of a ruined Bloodburn Kingdom flashed in her mind, and the confidence in Lupus's voice made the horrifying possibility feel dangerously close to reality.

The werewolves behind Lupus gave scornful glances at Ceti, their disdain clear. How dare she question the vision of the Great One with such disrespect? If not for his earlier command, they would have torn her apart already.

Lupus's eyes remained fixed on Ceti, his gaze piercing as he responded, "Your faith is admirable, but misplaced. If you truly believed in the promises you hold dear, you wouldn't be so desperate. Hope does not change the truth-it only clouds it. If you truly trusted in your beliefs, you wouldn't be standing before me right now."

Ceti clenched her fists tightly, her voice trembling with suppressed frustration. "I won't ask why you want the key. But if you get it, can you save my kingdom? I can convince the queen to hand it over to you without any bloodshed."

Lupus's expression didn't waver, his tone steady as he replied, "You want to save your kingdom, but the winds of fate have already swept it away. Even if it wasn't destined to fall, I would not interfere in the matters of your kingdom. They do not concern me or my people. I will claim the key, and the Bloodburn Kingdom will fall, just as it was always meant to. There is no changing that. I am sure you know that the best."

Ceti grimaced as she knew he was hinting at the fact that she must have seen Luna's vision.

He paused, his gaze softening slightly as he added, "You must accept it and instead once again become a part of the kingdom you truly belong to... a kingdom that will never fail to protect you or those you care about."

Ceti's jaw tightened as she stepped closer, defiance burning in her eyes, "You don't want me to return... You want Luna to return. Isn't that right?"

His blood-red eyes, calm yet piercing, held no hint of deception, and his words echoed in her

ears:

"It's time you knew the truth. Luna is your twin sister."

Her body stiffened, her breaths coming faster as she tried to process it.

After a long pause, she took a tentative step forward, her voice trembling as she asked, "So it's really true... my father was your son?" She clenched her fists tightly, her emotions bubbling to the surface. "If he really was... why didn't you protect him when your own clan members targeted him and outed him as a traitor? Where were you when he and his family needed you the most?"

Lupus turned slowly to face her, his towering figure imposing even in the moonlight. His gaze softened as he met her accusing eyes, though his tone remained solemn. "There was no other choice," he said, his voice carrying a weight of regret. "Your father was adamant about marrying your mother, disowning his family to free himself from the burdens of his duties. I had to be away for a greater cause, a cause that unfortunately transcended his plight. When your mother conceived you and your sister, the clash of two bloodlines within her womb threatened to destroy you both before you could even take your first breath."

Ceti's eyes widened as he continued, his voice deepening, "To save both you and your sister, your father made the ultimate sacrifice. He used his own bloodforce to merge the two of you into one body. It was the only way to stabilize the chaos between your bloodlines and preserve your lives. But in doing so, he crippled himself, giving up his strength and the sacred duty of becoming the next Moon Guardian. It made him vulnerable to those who saw his weakness as an opportunity."

Ceti's knees nearly buckled as the truth struck her harder than any blow she'd ever endured. Tears welled in her eyes as the guilt and regret flooded her heart. She had spent years resenting her father, blaming him for being weak and unable to protect her family. Now, she realized that his weakness was a reflection of his love and sacrifice for her.

At the same time, she felt sad for her twin sister, who was forced to sleep within her, unable to ever lead a proper life or experience one.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Her voice quivered as she asked, "T-Then... you can just bring out Luna now. Let me talk to her. She will be willing to help me, and she might even agree to become your successor. I won't ask for your help, and we all benefit from it. You owe us that much."

Lupus let out a low sigh, shaking his head slowly. "I'm afraid it's not that simple, child. If it were, your father wouldn't have resorted to such desperate measures to save you both." "No!" Ceti cried, her voice rising with desperation. "You are the Moon Guardian and the strongest person in this world! You must know a way. There has to be something you can do!" Lupus's expression hardened slightly, though it was tinged with sadness. "That doesn't change the fact that I am still a mortal, like you. I cannot perform miracles, and I cannot undo the balance your father created. Only one of you can live at a time while the other sleeps. That is how the balance is maintained. If we try to break it, both of you will die." Ceti's breath hitched, her thoughts racing as despair clawed at her heart. Rowena, Isola, Asher, her mother, her little brother... their faces flashed in her mind as she grappled with the weight of her decision. She knew time was running out. Every second spent here was a second closer to Drakar tearing apart her kingdom and killing everyone she cared about.

She finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper, "What will happen to me if I let you wake Luna while I go to sleep?"

Lupus's gaze softened further as he explained, "The reason your father chose you to retain control of your body was that Luna's bloodline, if given mastery, would forever suppress yours. The vast difference in power would mean that once Luna awakens fully, she will never fall back into slumber. You would be lost, and your essence would fade. That is why he didn't let her take over-he didn't want to lose you. If you allow me to alter the balance and wake Luna, you will not return. You will cease to exist."

Ceti's chin quivered as tears began to fall freely down her cheeks. Her voice cracked as she asked, "So you're saying... I'll be gone forever?"

"I am sorry, child," Lupus said with genuine sorrow in his eyes, "It is the price you have to

pay, just as Luna sacrificed most of her life by staying asleep just so that you can have a life of your own. She could have taken over your body if she wanted to...but she didn't. She loves you and has kept you safe ever since you were a child."

Ceti's knees buckled, and she fell to the ground, burying her face in her trembling hands as sobs wracked her body. Regret, sorrow, and despair threatened to consume her. She thought of all the moments she'd never get to share, all the things she would leave unsaid. She thought of Asher and how she might never see him again, never tell him how much she wanted to see him again or at least know if he was alright. She thought of Rowena, Isola, and her little brother. Her heart broke into a thousand pieces.

But then, she wiped her tears with trembling hands, her expression hardening into one of sorrowful determination.

Lupus was right...Luna, the twin sister she never knew she had, sacrificed so much for her even

if she never had to. If not for her, she wouldn't even be alive now.

How unfair and sad she must have felt all this time.

Slowly, she looked up at Lupus and said, "Okay... I will help you wake Luna. But you have to

promise me two things. If you don't... then I will fight to the death and gladly die for my

kingdom. Do you agree?"

Lupus, with a solemn nod, said, "I know what you are going to ask. You can consider it done. Your sacrifice will not be in vain."

Ceti took a shuddering breath, her shoulders trembling as she closed her eyes. Her lips curved

into a sad, bittersweet smile as she whispered in her mind, "Luna, my sister...I am leaving my loved ones to you...Please protect them for me. Thank you for giving me a chance to live all these years...I really wish we had a chance to meet each other, but now it's your time to live..."

The moon hung high above them as if bearing silent witness to the solemn decision made under its crimson glow.